The Leon reporter., January 18, 1900, Image 4

About The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
fH:
IN-THE ODD COKNEB.
'QUEER
AND CURIOUS
AND EVENTS.
down
the
THINGS
tli'
TTh!T Traps Birds—Naming Rubles Ift
l*eft to Chance—Tlmo-Gun tfircd' by
SpUljr trthquake-Proof JUuUd"
An Extraordinary Lake.
t-T*
Caption.
There/fs a picture in my brain
ThiUr only to come asain—
sunlight, through a veil of rain
To leeward, gliding.
narrow stretch of brown sea and sand,
A lighthouse half a, league from land.
And two young lovers, hand in. hand,
A castle-building,
TXpon tiie budded apple trees
The robins sing by twos and threes,
And ever, at the faintest breeze,
Down drops a blossom
And even would that lover be
The wind that robs the burgeoned trcs,
And lifts the soft trees daintily
On Beauty's bosom.
Ah, graybeard, what a happy thing
It was, when life was in its spring.
To peep through love's betrothal ring
At fields Elyslan
To move and breathe in magic air.
To think that all that seems is fair—
Ah, ripe young mouth and golden hair,
Thou pretty vision!
Well,•well. think not on these two
But the old wound breaks out anew,
'And the old dream, as if 'twere true,
In my heart nestles
Then tears come welling to my eyes.
For yonder, all in saintly guise.
As 'twere, a sweet dead woman lies
S Upon the trestles.
-T. B. Aldrlch.
This Cat Trap* Hlrrts.
Over in New Jersey .-there is a cat
that traps. sparrows. Mrs. Brown, the
owner of this remarkable cat. lives on
the top floor of a four-story brick house
_rr.r in Greenville. One of the back bed
room windows overlooks a neighbor
ing roof, one of the ledges of which is
not more than three feet from the win
dow. Mrs. Brown is very fond of birds
and until recently was accustomed to
strew birdseed and crumbs over the
ledge for the sparrows. She soon no
ticed, however, that her big coal-black
cat Fanny was not respecting the laws
of hospitality and could not resist the
opportunity afforded of breaking her
fast with one or two sparrows. All
Fanny had to do was to leap the inter
vening three feet from the* window sill
upon the stone flagging on the roof,
and one poor little sparrow, sometimes
two, would be quivering between her
paws. Mrs. Brown at once stopped
feeding them, there being no way to
keep the cat from the window, in-the
hope that the poor little victims of
her well-meant kindness would come
no more. This, however, did not suit
Fanny at all. She set about devising
jpome means by which the little spar
rows, which, although they still came,
would not tarry upon seeing that their
accustomed crumbs were not there,
could be gotten to stay as before. She
finally hit upon something, and imme
diately set upon carrying it into
e.v,
cutlon. Her mistress,, who sat
ins in an easy chair in a cor
room, saw Fanny jump on,
111, carryini
and. from
thel
to the roof. Curious to see
cat was about, Mrs. Brown got Tl
very
quietly and went to the side o!
the
window and watched the cat emp
tying the bag on the ledge and then
spreading the contents for a little dis
tance with her paws. When all was
Teiiuy
she jumped back to the sill and
took hpr accustomed stand behind the
flower
pots. Some few minutes after
Fanny was making a mea! of two
sparrows—the result of her successful
trapping.
Naming Rubles Is l.eft to Chunce.
In Persia and in Japan the naming
of children is a matter of chance, a sort
of lottery deciding what name the in
fant shall carry through life. In Per
sia this ceremony, performed in the
house of birth, is important and elab
orate. All the relatives, even those
living at a distance, are brought to
gether, and the priests of the locality
are invited. After the meal, which is
served as a welcome, is eaten, the new
addition to Persia's population is
placed in the center of the room on
a rug. The guests form a circle
around the child. One of the priests
writes five names, previously agreed
upon, on five slips of paper, and dis
tributes these among the leaves of the
Koran. He then reads a chapter from
the book and at'random picks one of
the slips. Whatevier name this slip
bears then becomes the- name of the
child, says the New York Press. It
is whispered into the ear of the new
born by the priest, and the slip of pa
per is then hidden in the baby's
clothes. In Japan the christening takes
place the thirteenth day after birth.
The parents, accompanied by the
child, repair to the temple, and the
father gives to the priest three names
written on pieces of paper. After re
ligious ceremonies the slips are thrown
into the air, and the one that reaches
the ground first decides the little one's
name. This name the priest writes on
a piece of consecrated paper and gives
It to the parents. At the end of the
exercises the child receives presents
if a boy, he gets two fans if a girl,
the gallant priest gives to her a drop
•of pomade for her future beauty, in
both cases, however, the new-born re
ceives a package of flax, which denotes
fc?alth and long life.
Time-Gun Fireil by Spldrr.
A time gun was once fired by a spi
der at the castle In Cape Town. The
time gun of the castle is fired by elec
tricity at 1:30 p. m. daily. One day,
however, all the military and civilians
ic. Cape Town were aslonished to hear
the gun go off before the proper time,
and the officials were puzzled at this
extraordinary occurrence, and could
give no explanation as to the cause.
The general Ln command of the sta
tion, being of opinion that there was
mismanagement somewhere, gave or
ders for a strict search to be made by
the officials to discover the guilty par
ty. The electric current for firing the
gun is supplied by the Royal Observa
tory, and gops from there to an instru
ment known as a relay, in the central
telegraph dffice, Cape Town. The ac
tion of the current going through the
Instrument's main moves a sort of
light tongue, whiclv is so finely set
f\at the lpast little thing would affect
,• ff This forces the. current directly
the time-fuses which have the
the Jtun at the castle.
tlift officials found in&icje ot it a big
brown spider. It appeared that while
having an exploring trip around the
instrument the unfortunate spider
must have touched this tongue suffi
ciently to move it and fired off the
gun. The general serit the spider to
the Cape Town museum, where he is
now to be seen. Beneath him is a card
entitling him "The Little Gunuer,"
and giving a full account of his ad«
venture with the gun.
Tile llrpiKl-FruU Trnn.
The bread fruit tree is a native of
the islands of the Pacific ocean and o£
the Indian arcliipclago, and grows to
a height of from forty to fifty feet. It
has large, pinnatifid leaves, frequently
twelve to eighteen inches long, dark
green and glossy. The fruit of the
bread-tree, which in shape and size
resembles a musk-melon, supplies the
principal part of the food of the in
habitants of these islands. It is at
tached to the small branches of the
tree by a small, thick stalk, and hangs
either single or in clusters of two or
three together. It contains a some
what fibrous pulp, which, when ripe,
becomes juicy and yellow, but has then
a rotten taste. At an earlier stage,
when it is gathered for use, the pulp
is white and mealy, and of a consist
ency resembling new bread. The com
mon method of preparing this fruit
for eating is to cut it into three or
four pieces, and then take out the
core, then to place heated stones in
the bottom of a bole dug in the ground,
to cover them with green leaves, and
upon these to place a layer of the fruit,
then stones, leaves and fruit alter
nately, till the hole is nearly filled,
when'leaves and earth to the depth of
several inches are spread over all.
In rather more than half an hour the
bread-fruit is ready for eating. It has
little taste, and more resembles the
plantain than bread made of wheat
flour. The inner bark of the bread
fruit. tree supplies a considerable part
of the clothing of the islanders, and its
timber and its milky juice are em
ployed for economical purposes.
Fish That ltovoluit in liclug Ciuslit.
Fishing Gazette: Fish seem to have
no sense of feeling, and many people
believe that the angry and energetic
movements of a fist when it is caught
are due rather to annoyance at losing
its liberty than to any sense of pain.
I cau confirm this, because 1 have over
and over again taken an undersized
pike that has been once or twice
caught and put back into the water.
Upon one occasion three of us—boys
of the old brigade—were fishing in a
small pool in a narrow, sluggish river.
Jones caught a small pike, and as it
was undersized—being barely four
pounds—he cut the hooks out of its
gullet and threw the fish in again.
Inside of thirty seconds Jones caught
the .same fi£h again. Once more he
cut on^ thel hooks, and this time he
had •Aiaul/it very much. Once more
it viewed in. Then I caught it,
stilWTOed:ng. I got the hooks out with
difficulty, find before I could throw the
fish in a^iin a terrier dog bit it half
through. Then I kicked the fish in,
and Brown caught it. At last we got
so tired: of catching this fish that I
t. It
•ee and
wnen a crow
it from the tree,
had removed one oi
f-same fish was caught
keeper.
but n?
the eyes7
next day by
that corks
The Cork
Some children fancy"
grow out of bottles, inste^jj being
made of the bark of a tree Si'pws
in Italy, Spain and other southern
countries. The cork tree is aijk
ever"
green about the size of our apple* tree.
The bark is stripped in order to
the cork, which is soaked and iV"'11
dried The moment the bark is peefetl
oft", the tree begins to grow anoUi*01'
cork skin, and each new one is bett
than the last, so the older the bett
the cork. The trees are stripped about
every eight years, and so strong does
it make them that they often live to
the age of 200 years. Besides its chief
use as stoppers for bottles, cork is
made into buoys, in making life pre
servers to save people from drowning,
soles of boots and slippers, fancy rock
work, largely for lifeboats, and some
times for artificial limbs. After the
bark is stripped off, it is trimmed and
'dried and flattened out. Then it is
packed and shipped to all parts of the
world.
K»rthqn»ke-l'roiif Uiiilf 1
The only buildings in tne world
which are earthquake proof are the
Japanese pagodas. There are many
which are 700 or 800 years old, and as
solid as when first built. The reason
lies in their construction. A pagoda
is practically a framework of heavy
timbers, which starts from a wide base
and is in itself a substantial structure,
but is rendered still more stable by a
peculiar device. Inside the framework
and suspended from the apex is a long,
heavy beam of timber, two feet thick
or more. This hangs from one end of
the four sides, four more heavy tim
bers, and, if the pagoda be very lofty,
still more timbers are added to these.
The whole forms an enormous pendu
lum, which recedes within six feet of
the ground. When the shock of an
earthquake rocks the pagoda the pen
dulum swings in unison, and keeps the
center of gravity always at the base
of the framework. Consequently the
equilibrium of the pagoda is never dis
turbed.
An Extraordinary I-alce.
One ot tne most remarkable lakes
on the earth's surface is situated at
Tar Point, on the island of Trinidad,
and bears the- suggestive name of
Pitch lake. At first view the surface
of this "lake, v/hich is not a lake,"
gives one the impression that it is a
large body of placid water, but a closer
examination proves it to be a vast
plain covered with hard and and hard
ening pitch. In the winter months the
surface of this lake Is perfectly smooth
and of a consistency sufficient to bear
any weight.
Strong Mutrnot*.
Electro-magnets capable of plekins
up a load not exceeding five tons are
used by one of the great steel com
panies to transfer steel beams or plates
from one part of the shop to another.
"A Woman's Pocket" is the title of
a new cook. It Is probably a deteot
ito«. i. vM
SOME SHORT STORIES
,THE VETERANS.
:^v.
THE LEON BEPjatTEK, THURSDAY, .JANUARY 18,
DAIiPFIRE SKETCHES.
FOR
rh» Old Slave of General Shelby—
Forrcat's Hamor—A Dandy in the
War—He UaU HI* Own 1*1* te, Liueu
and
WIun.
Old Lovers.
Heart of my heart, when the day was
young,
Hope sans to life with a silver tongue
Hope beckoned love down a flowery way,
Where 'twas always morning and always
May,
And two true lovers need fnever part
Do you remember, heart of my heart?
Heart of my heart, when the moon was
high,
Work showed the way we must travel by
Duty spoke cold and stern In our cars,
Bidding us bear all the toll and tears.
Partings and losses, sorrow and smart
Have you forgotten, heart of my heart?
Heart of my heart, In the setting sun.
We sit at peace, with our day's work
done
In the cool of the evening we two look
back
On the winding pathway, the noon's
rough track.
And the morn's green pleasance..' where
roses twine.
Heart of my heart—with your hand in
mine.
Heart of my heart, when the night is
here.
Love will sing songs of life in our car
We shall sleep awhile 'neaili the daisied
grass,
Till we put on the glory and rise and
pass.
To walk whpre eternal splendors shine.
Heart of my heart—with your hand In
mine.
—E. Nesbit, in the Argosy,
Tlio Old Slave of (Jen. Shelby.
Gen. "Joe" Shelby's old body serv
ant, Uncle Billy Hunter, in spite of his
72 years, is still sturdy and vigorous.
He remembers the war times remark
ably well, and likes nothing better
than to talk of the many tights and
incidents in the life of his "old massa,"
the famous confederate general, whose
body rests in Forest Hill cemetery.
With the exception of-Shelby's expe
dition into Mexico—one of the most
dramatic events In our history—and
the thirty years after the war, when
the general lost sight of him entirely,
Uncle Billy was with him
vfrom
the
time he was 12 years old. Billy is at
his best when he gets started on Gen.
Shelby during the war. "Dere never
was a man like Gen. Shelby, sah," said
Billy the other day to a reporter from
the Kansas, City Star. "His sojers jes'
thought the world of him. 'Twant
never 'Go fight,' but "Come on, boys,"
an' he was always in de front, a leadin'
em on. Many's the time I've brought
up a big fresh hoss for him when his
was sfaot, and earried coffee an' a bite
o' something to eat to him on the field.
Wasn't no one else could cook for the
general 'cept ole Billy. 'Come here,
you black nigger, an' get me something
to eat!' he uster yell, an' you bet I
did right smart. He would cuss me
awful, but, Lor'! that wasn't nothing.
When .he didn't 1 knew ther» was
'He wrist at Cape Girardo I nursed
hini. Lots o' men went hungry in
those days, but I generally could pick
Up something for the general. Had to
be mighty careful 'bout it, for he didn't*
allow no stsalin'. Yes, sah, 1 was cap
tured jes' once. Lemme see, that was
at Lone Jack. Gen. Shelby sent me to
Col. Jordan's camp 'bout a mile away,
and the feds scooped me and took me
Into the village, but in an hour and a
half the James brothers came chargin'
through and drove the feds off. They
pulled me out from between two
feather beds, where 1 was keeping
away from the bullets, and took me
back to Shelby. When he saw me he
looked mad clean through. 'Where
have you been, you black rascal says
be, 'go get me some breakfast darned
imart.' When Gen. Shelby started for
Mexico with his^ 1,000 picked men he
lays to me, 'Billy, you take Miss Hetty
—that's my missus—and the children
back home, and you're a free man.' So
1 left him at Galveston and carried
them 'cross the Gulf of Mexico to New
Orleans, and from there to Lexington
and sound. After that I drifted off
an ifff °wn hook, workin' as porter in
botels*-*an' tendin' bar, and 1 never
heard of oSW,^eneral for mor'n thirty
years. One da^"*t^hile 1 was working
for Jim Baldus in cfi^fago I heard that
my ole massa was^.United States
marshal in Kansas City, aftPd 1 let him
know where 1 was. He senf *or
me t0
come back, but 1 guess I dfrfn^ start
quick enough to suit him, for one Sun
day when 1 was readin' the papers iri
the barroom in walks a man and says:
'I'm Deputy Marshal Potts of Kansas
City, an' I'm looking for William
Hunter.' 'I's the man, sah,' says 1.
'What you done, Billy?' said Baldus.
•I'll stand by you.' 'Gen. Shelby told
me to bring you back with me,' Potts
caid. 'He said "that darned nigger
worked fdr me for more than thirty
years, an' he's going to take It easy
BOW. You bring him back, and I'll
give him all the land he wants/' 'I'd
go through Are and water for the ole
massa,' says 1, and back I starts. The
missus gave me two horses, and I
stayed with 'em till the general died.
1 done lost the best friend I had then.
An' now I'm living with Joe Shelby,
Jr., sah, and tend his children jest as
I did him when he was a little feller.
But every Decoration day I goes over
to my ole massa's grave and put
flowers on It in memory of the finest
man that ever lived, sah—Gen. Joe
Bhelby."
Format'R Humor*
One of the fiercest and most deter
mined fighters in the civil war was
Gen. N. B. Forrest, commanding the
confederate cavalry. His name was a
redoubtable one, and few of his op
ponents were aware of a humorous side
of his disposition, familiar to his
friends. For many years the general
loved to tell the story of an incident
which occurred near Cowan's station.
The troopers he had with him were
being hotly pursued by the federals,
and the general was galloping along at
top speed. A fiery southern dame hap
pened to be standing by the roadside,
and when she saw the flying confed
erate officer her Indignation boiled
over. Shaking her fist in scorn, she
•creamed: "Why don't you turn and
fight, you cowardly rascal*? If old
Forreat were here he'a make you
fipMI" Fortunately, the" gencral'si
hoi sej soon carried him out of range.
Forrest's biographer relates that once
at a dinner party, where he had been
invited as the guest of honor, there
was a loquacious widow, with hair of
raven black, who rudely interrupted
the conversation by asking Gen. For
rest why it was that his beard was
still black, while.his hair was turning
gray. With great'politeness he turned
toward her. "I fear I cannot give you a
satisfactory answer," said he, "unless,
possibly, the reason is that I have used
my brain a little more than I have my
ji^w," In the midst of one of his cam
paigns a captured federal chaplain was
brought to his headquarters. The man
showed the deepest anxiety and de
pression, for stories of Gen. Forrest's
severity were rife in the union camp.
A little later supper was announced,
and Forrest, to the-chaplain's surprise,
invited him to share it but his sur
prise grew to amazement when the
general turned to him and reveren
tially said: "Parson, will you please
ask the blessing?" The next morning
Forrest courteously gave him an es
cort through the confederate lines, for
he wished no non-combatants for pris
oners, and bade him goodby with the
remark: "Parson, I would keep you
here to preach for me, if you weren't
needed so much more by the sinners on
the other side."
Bnt tho Cheers Died Away.
Gen. Lee rode Traveler, his pet horse
that carried him through the war, to
Lexington when he went there to as
sume the presidency of Washington
college, says the Ladies' Home Jour
nal. One day he meta rusty, weather
beaten mountaineer lounging drowsily
upon the road in his rickety cart.
Gen. Lee's cordial "Good morning"
aroused the old confederate instantly.
"Whoa!" he called out to his old nag.
"Ain't that Gen. Lee?" he inquired, as
he climbed down and caught"Traveler
by the bridle. "Yes, sir," said Gen.
Lee wonderlngly. "Well, then," said
the old fellow iii a glow of excitement,
"I want you to do me a favor." "I will
with pleasure, if I can," was the re
sponse. "All right, you just get down
off Traveler." Gen. Lee did so, and to
his amazement his horse was led away
and tied in the bushes, while he stood
alone in the road in great perplexity.
"Now," said the excited veteran, "I am
one of your old soldiers. Gen. Lee. I
was with you all the way from Mechan
icsville to Appomattox. I was thar all
the time. And I just want you to let
me give three rousing cheers for 'Marse
Robert.' Gen. Lee's head dropped in
most painful embarrassment as the
first yell went sounding along the
mountain sides. The next yell was
choked with sobs as the old soldier
dropped upon his knees in the dust
hugging Gen. Lee's legs, and the third
died away in tears.
A Dandy ln the Wiir.
The Hon. W. Dawson was surrounded
by muleteers, with whom he was bar
gaining to provide carriage for innum
erable hampers of wine, liquors, hams,
potted meat and other good things
which he had brought from England,
ifr-f-stys-"T-fae R^jninj^cences and Recol
lections of Capt. Gronow." He was a
particularly gentlemanly and amiable
man, much beloved by the regiment
no one was so hospitable or lived so
magnificently. His cooks were the best
in the army, and he, besides, had a
host of servants of all nations—Span
iards, French, Portuguese, Italians—
who were employed in scouring the
country for provisions. Lord Welling
ton once honored him with his com
pany and, on entering the ensign's
tent, found him alone at table, with a
dinner fit for a king, his plate and
linen in good keeping and his wines
perfect. Lord Wellington was accom
panied on this occasion by Sir Ed
ward Pakenham and Col. du Burgh,
I
Afterward Lord1 Downes. It fell to my
lot to partake of his princely hospital
ity and dine with him at his quarters,
a farmhouse in a village on the Bid
assoa, and 1 never saw a better dinner
put upon the table.
How Napoleon Detected a Spy.
On one occasion, while he was forti
fying the island of Loban, Napoleon
became suspicious that an Austrian spy
had gained admission to a certain regi
ment. He immediately ordered this
regiment to parade drill, delivered a
speech to the troops and told them of
his suspicion. He then commanded that
every man closely scrutinize his com
rades to the right and left. In this
manner a man was discovered who was
not known to anybody. He turned out
to be a Parisian, who had fled from
xthe
French capital to Austria, had
secured a French uniform on a battle
fled, arid thus did the service of a spy
for Archduke Charles. The spy was
promptly executed.
Gold BenrlDf Sand for Daliant.
Golden sand for ballafit is the latest
development in Cape Nome mining af
fairs, and it may revolutionize things.
Though the matter has been kept quiet,
it is a fact that the steam schooner
Aloha, which arrived a few days ago
at Seattle from Cape Nome, carried fif
ty tons of bealph gravel balast John
H. Bullock, one.ojC the managing own
ers of the vesael, speaking of the bal
last, said: "Io is true. Some of it is
the ruby sand Wjii^h, -we know, con
tains gold, and! the rest Is coarse grav
el. We are taking it to Sam Francisco
where it can pe treated cheaper and
worked to muqh better advantage than
at Cape Nomjs. But for the severe
weather, whicbt:made it difficult to get
the sand, we Ihould have1 taken 150
tons. Our etedBoer Albion will proba
bly bring 200 Iras of this sand. She
is en route frcpi Cape Nome either to
this city or SaEFranclsco. Should the
Aloha's ventu®»prove profitable, the
spectacle of aMeet of vessels taking
said ballast fom the Cape Nome
beaches next sAmer will be witnessed
Mr. Bullock stAd that he believed the
Aloha's sand wild assay $100 to thp
ton —St
Lou
ijtlobe-Democrat
fileptia]
NinM,
Siamese wo:
dren to the ca
careful never
tures and if
gacious animal
ly up ln his t:
out of harm's,
back.
entrust their chil
elephants, who are
hurt' the little crea
ger threatens, the sa
il curl the child gent
and swing it up and
iy upon its own broad
1900.
THE ROSE OP WTI/TON
A Gir!L OUTLAW
W'J
OF
THE
FAR
EAST,
'Vt.
Bftxoh
of
Sho IT&o Given the Authorities
Trouble Remarkable Career
Young Connecticut Girl Outlaw Still in
Hor Teqiit.
frr
(Norwalk Letter.)
Within the gloomy walls of a Con
necticut prison, drooping and pining
for the wilderness of the forest, lan
guishing for the lack of the sunlight,
is "the Wild Rose.ot Wilton." Not yet
out of her teens, Minnie Stiym, brown
eyed and beautiful, has had a career
that well might puzzle a philosopher
to account for. Reared in a quiet, old
fashioned house near Norwalk, this
girl, with a rich profusion of dark
brown hair, with hands soft and white,
with a beauty such that many a maid
en of lordly birth might envy her, un
tutored and in tatters, is yet a queen
of men, lawless men though they are.
Not more than a mile from her home,
beneath.the shelter of two great rocks,
was the rendezvous of a marauding
band of idlers. There this farmer's
daughter found them about two years
ago. She cast her life with theirs.
MINNIE STURM.
When a raia on neighboring cellars
and hen roosts made provisions plenti
ful there in the rendezvous, it was
Minnie^ Sturm (Minnie Brotherton)
who cooked the viands over a fire of
logs. But the band became too daring.
The hand of the law seized them. Somi
were imprisoned and the others scat
tered. Minnie Brotherton promised to
mend her ways and the lenient author
ities let her go her way. For a short
time she lived quietly, but not con
tentedly, in the old house. A few
months later she married Valentine
Sturm of Norwalk and went to live
with the family of her husband. Her
stay there was remarkably short.
Seven months after 6he left him, and
in the winter of 1898 applied to the
Selectmau of Norwalk for support. She
was sent to the Town Farm. Even
there she showed her wild tendencies.
She fell in love with a pauper, "Jim"
Collins, a gray-bearded man with a
wooden leg. One day they eloped from
the Almshouse, and for several days
there was no trace of them. Then Col
lins limped back to the institution and
was restored to his former place, but
the "Wild Rose" had no love for life in
an Almshouse, and she soon found a
companion in Howard Dauchy. A few
days ago Dauchy and the "Wild Rose"
entered the Norwalk Selectman's office
and applied for admission to the Poor
house. Instead of accommodating
them the Selectman notified Sturm,
Who preferred a charge against his
wife. It was learned, too, that they
had .borrowed a horse and wagpr. to
drive to the Town Clerk's office, say
ing they wished to get a marriage? 11
Cfnse. The horse and wagon were not
returned, and a charge of horse tiieft
was made. The "Wild Rose's" indig
nation was aroused. She first plead
ed with the owner to withdraw his
charge, promising to bring back his
horse and wagon. He wars determined
to send her to jail, and refused. "You'll
never see that horse again!" the "Wild
Rose" exclaimed. "I'll go to jail and
•tay there." And she did.
This City Entirely Ownn
The town of Huddersfield, Yorkshire,
England, stands unique iu the world
as the only town which absolutely
owns itself in every respect. Begin
ning life in a municipal artiaaa's
dwelling, the young man rides to his
work on a municipal tram. He gets
his gas or electricity from the city.
His wife rents a gas stove from the
city, purchases her produce from a
municipal market, and buys meat that
has been prepared by a municipal
butcher. Both use the public baths,
enjoy the city's parks, and send their
children to the city's playgrounds.
Their house refuse is moved by tho
city. When ill they go to the city
hospital or, if unfortunate, to the city
municipal lodging room. Their letters
are collected by a c|ty postman. And
in a thousand other ways their daily
life comes in close contact with tha
city government. At last they are
burled in a city cemetery.
"I.lttle DnrrltV C'haroh.
The public authorities who are re
moving the human remains from "Lit
tle Dorrit's" church in Southwark,
have clearecP away upwards of a thou
sand bodies. In the process of doing
so they have discovered vaultB the ex
istence of which was unknown or had
been forgotten, and these are chockful
of coffins. It is stated that the clear
ing out of the whole of the' vaults and
the reinterment of the remains at Wok
ing will add fourpence a pound to the
rate® of the parish. The bodies are
presumably those of person^ of local
standing or distinction whom the
parishioners or the church 'in past
times desired to honor.
0
"5
1
i"**
A Mile Minute In an Antomolilte.
Chief Engineer Croker, of New York,
rides to fires ln an automobile that
travels at 60 miles an hour. It is called
and is really a fire locomotive. It is
Ipropelled by steam generated by gaso
jllne. The machine carries a pressure
of 120 pounds of steam, could be speed
ed to 25 miles an hour in any 100 yards,
And 60 miles in a furlong, and could
lie stopped in Its own length, in a
undred yards it could attain the speed
an exp
NEWS SPREADS FAST./
Eren the African Natives Have Theli
£y»t*mi of Communication.
Both South African and British In
dian papers refer to the keen interest
taken by the natives of the two coun
tries in the war between the British
and the Boers. A regular system of
communication is said to have been es
tablished between stations on the west
and the northwest frontier of India and
the hill country, by which all informa
tion concerning the progress of th9 war
is transmitted with extraordinary ra
pidity among the tribesmen. How it is
done Is a mystery yet unsolved but
one Indian paper affirms that the news
of the beginning of hostilities in South
Africa was already known across the
frontier when it was received at Pesha
wur by telegraph. The effect of it was
seen in the agitation that began among
the tribes, and in a call sent out by the
Mullah of Povindah for 3,000 men to
assemble, ostensibly to march against
some recalcitrant chieftains. He also
Issued a proclamation ascribing the de
feats of the tribesmen last year to the
want of 'harmony among them, and
pointing out that if they wanted to re
cover their independence they must
rise all together. In consequence of
this agitation a British force hass been
sent to the frontier to the point threat
ened. A Rhodesian paper,-in announc
ing the outbreak of the war, laments
the absence of telegraphic communica
tion between Beira and the coast towns
of Natal and Cape Colony, by which
news could be received of the progress
of hostilities, and says that if all other
means of communication fall, they will
have to fall back upon the native house
boys. It says that it has certainly been
more than surprising in previous Af
rican wars how early and correct was
the information the natives seemed to
possess. An instance Is given in which
during the last Mashona war, the Mas
honas in the Umtali district knew of
the battle at the Shangania river on
the evening of the same day on which
it was fought. How such speed of com
munication was secured is still a puz
zle. Whether It was done by shout
ing from hill to hill, or by fleet run
ners in relays, the result, the covering
of 40 miles in eight hours, was a mar
vel:
GENEROUS CARNEGIE.
It is a rare day that does not witness
a wise and generous deed at the hands
of Andrew Carnegie. It is generally a
largo gift of money for public laprary
purposes, for this is Mr. Carnngie's
special line of beneficence. Within the
past few weeks five such benefaoions
have come to public knowledge, the
total amounts promised being not less
than $2,000,000. Of this, $1,7^1,000
was the enlargement of the Caitegle
library in Pittsburg, an institutiwi to
which Mr. Cr.rnegie had already con
tributed several millions. The addi
tional sum, It is said, will mak.* the
library three and one-half times Larg
er than originally intended, and. the
largest and most magnificent building
of its kind in the world. In additi(yi to
its use as a library, the building will
have departments devoted to the pro
motion of science, music, art and liter
ature. The four other library fifts
mentioned included one of $50,000 to
the city of Duluth, Wis. $50,000 t« the
city of Tyrone, Pa. $125,000 to the
Polytechnic Library Society, of Louis
ville, Ky„ and $25,000 to Tucson, Ariz.
All these donations were accompanied
with the condition that the cities thus
favored should furnish certain t«ums
of money for tho regular maintenance
of the library.
CONKLING'S NAMESAKE.
A Negro Orator Wlio*e Name Commemo
rates a Kind Act.
Roecoe Conkling Bruce, a negro stu
dent at Harvard, is proving himself
an orator of great eloquence and a de
bater of profound capacity. Harvard
has been amazed by his brilliance.
Young Bruce is a son of former United
States Senator Blanche K/ Bruce, of
Mississippi, who for many years was
register of the treasury. Young Bruce
was named for Roscoe Conkling out of
gratitude for a favor the eloquent New
York statesman once did for the elder
Bruce when the negro leader first went
to the senate. Bruce's colleague from
Mississippi declined to introduce the
colored statesman to the president of
the senate. All the other senators were
disposed not to Interfere, and Mr.
Bruce found himself in a most embar
rassing position. Mr. Conkling took
in the situation and his generous heart
was touched. He promptly introduced
Bruce to the president, and the Mis
sissippi negro never forgot the kind
ness. The younger Bruce was prepared
R. C. BRUCE.,
for Harvard at Phillips Exeter, and en
tered the university last year. His
splendid abilities were brought out in
the trials for the Princeton debate, in
which he surprised everybody by his
mastery of thought and by the plain
evidences he gave of. an inborn elo
quence. Last year ho earned much
praise by winning the medal offered
by Baron Coubert, of Paris, to Harvard
students for excellence in knowledge
of French politics. .It Is predicted that
he will surpass the famous Frederick
Douglass in oratory.
The children lof the Boers, females
as well as males, ire taught to tue
the rifle before Ahey are ten years' of
age. Thls explslns why the Boers are
such excellent fiarksmen.
,t' '..V'
PERQUISITES OF CONGRESSMEN
Ueueflts Tlmt Cnmni1lt"OS of tho lio'nse.
a
of UHproontivtlvoH
Km
joy. 'sSty
Committees of the house of rfcpre-/^."
sentatives have certain perquisites. For
instance, the committee on naval af
fairs is good for half a dozen or more
trips every session to the various navy
yards, the launching of warships at •,
the private shipbuilders' yards, all of
which can bo attended for nothing,"
with everything thro'wn ln. Many ot
these trips include the ladies and fam
ilies of the members of the committee.
The military affairs is not so fortunate
in the way of junkets, but there are
some valuable perquisites connected
with the membership of that commit
tee. The committee on Indian affairs
is generally good for a tour of the In
dian country during the recess, every
thing free, and plenty of it, besides ex
cursions to Carlisle and Hampton*to
inspect the classes of young Indians
who are being civilized and educated
there. The postolfice committee comes
In for half a dozen or more junkets dur
ing a seaman, some of which are "wide
open" and very enjoyable, while the
appropriation committee has so many
invitations that it cannot accept one
quarter of them. The members of the
railroads committee have transporta-"
tion passes showered on them from all
Eections, while the Pacific railroads in
sist on numerous inspections, with all
the extras thrown in. All the big com
mittees ln different ways have favors
shown them, and the indications are
that the foreign affairs committee will
be good each for a free trip and all ex
penses paid to the Paris exposition
next summer. The small committees,
that Is, the less importat committeffl,
come in for favors of a lesser dagree.
but none the less appreciate.-.!. The
committee on accounts can always de
pend on one thing, and that Is that the
committee demijohn will be kept full.
It Is one of the honored traditions ot
this committee that it shall keep a
demijohn. No one knows who fills it,
at least who furnishes that which fills
It, but every member of the committee
krows that the supply is certain and
tne quality of the finest. They also
know that the moment the supply runs
fyelow the third band of the wicker
basket covering another demijohn ap
pears as if by magic at the door of tha
committee room. This has always been
so, and no one has ever been able to
explain it. There are peculiarities and
perquisites large and small connected
with other committees, always have
been, and probably always will be.
THE CZAR'S RAILWAY TRAIN.'
The Itup«r!al Moving EUahlUtimcnt Is
Luxuriously Flttoil Up.
The Imperial train in which the Czar
and Czarina usually travel is wholly of
Russian workmanship, having been
made in the Alexander works at St.
Petersburg. It consists of eleven car
riages painted blue and gold. They are
connected by corridors, and provided
with every luxury. Behind the lug
gage wagons there are, first, the kitch
en, containiiig a splendid French stove
and t.wo large fixed samovars. Then
conies the pantry with all its append-,
ages, to which is attached a second^
class carriage for the kitchen servants,
The dining room, a whole carriage, is
furnished with a large table in the cen
ter, a.nd small tab!es aTon'g"*the"srd&3,'
the walls being paneled, with red
beechwood inset with huge mirrors.
The chairs are upholstered with brown
Rusaia leather. Another carriage
serves as the reception room, the walls
being ornamented with stamped leath
er in beechwood frames. The seats are
salmon-colored, with white stripes in
Louis XV. style. The reception room
also contains five small and beautiful-.
ly inlaid tables and three hanging can
delabras. The Czarina carriage is
light blue, with padded walls, and con
tains her majesty's writing table and
an enormous mirror, and is decorated
with beautiful creeping plants, of
which the Czarina is particularly fond.
Next to the Czarina's room, and in the
eame carriage, is the imperial nursery,
while the whole of the adjoining car
riage is also devoted to the children
and their wants. Here are their low
cradle beds. A special coupe is re-:
served for tho governesses and nurses."
I The Czar's apartments consist of twa
rooms, his study and a dressing room.
The study is fitted with brown Russia
I leather, and the study table is orna
mented with fine bronzes. The next
two carriages are reserved for the
suite. The last carriage is reserved
for the railway official. Here the speed
I of the train is regulated. All the car
riages are connected by telephone. The
lighting, ventilation and heating are
carefully nttended to. More than 300
lamps are supplied by the electric ba£r
tery on the train. The train runs quite
noiselessly, even wnen going at th»
highest speed.
KRUGER'S IRISH COACHMAN.
Joseph Carey, whose picture isliere
witli shown, is an Irish Boer who for
many years has been the coachn»m
KRUGER'S IRISH COACHMAN,
for the president of the Trtfnsvaa!.'
Carey is the most noted whip in th
Transvaal and has had many adven*
tures in South Africa». cne of the most
famous being his oapttre "during
Matabele attack oh a stagecoach. H$
made h'a escape by seeking coyer Ij
some th'fk bush and was rescued sooll
tfter by a number of English offioHnki
«1
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